White House officials are saying President Bush will propose next week to build a permanent inhabited base on the moon and to eventually send humans to the planet Mars. The New York Times reports that the announcement is intended to help portray Bush as a inspirational leader whose vision goes beyond terrorism and tax cuts.” Bush’s father, the country’s 41st president, made a similar proposal in 1989 but it went nowhere. Bush Senior called for the establishment of a base on the moon and an expedition to be sent to Mars as the beginning of “the permanent settlement of space.” The New York Post reports that a permanent moon base would be used in part to test military rockets. The last manned mission to the moon was in 1972. In order to send humans to Mars, the country will have to develop new methods of propulsion and electricity generation as well as a way to protect astronauts from large radiation doses. It is unclear how the government, which is facing record deficits, would be able to pay to develop the new technology.